13 Assassins (2010)Directed by Takashi Miike, Starring Kōji YakushoBack to Japan! This time for a samurai revenge story set in the 19th century. The Shogun favours his young half-brother, in spite of a history of sadistic cruelty. When he decides to place him on the ruling counsel, Sir Doi, a senior member of the government realizes that the consequences for the nation would be catastrophic. He enlists Shinzaemon, a trusted samurai, to save Japan and kill the evil lord. Hanbie, an old associate of Shinzaemon is entrusted with saving the lord from his would be assassins.The movie is a remake of a 1963 film of the same name and apparently draws on two historical incidents. One is the famous story of the 47 ronin. The other is the assassination of Ii Naosuke, who was killed in a plot by 17 ronin assassins. His crime? He was the minister responsible for signing the Harris Treaty and opening Japan to the US.The first half of the movie unfolds with simplicity as the plotters and officials set their schemes like an elegantly played game of chess. Here we meet the victims of Lord Naritsugu’s cruelty. He has no respect for class or age or gender. The second half of the movie is one protracted battle scene, as the thirteen assassins lure Naritsugu, Hanbie, and two hundred soldiers into a massive trap: an entire town remade into a maze of kill zones.Miike shifts pace with ease and really seems intent on pouring whatever ingredient he feels he needs into a blender and mixing it into something whole and complete. At one point an assassin dies and everything is still except his blood pouring through a rivulet of water; another blows himself up with a stick of explosives and a wave of blood pours over onto the street that runs parallel. CGI is used to with varying degrees of effectiveness. The best use is when we’re shown what Naritsugu’s cruelty has meant for one woman. The least convincing is when a small group of water buffalo, with burning logs tied to their backs, are set loose during the battle. The incident itself doesn’t add much to the story and CGI itself is unconvincing.All in all, it’s a very good movie. It never rises above its genre to become the sort of movie that might appeal to a broader audience, but like Battle Royale in represents something we don’t see much of in Hollywood movies. If this movie had come out of LA, it would have been delegated to a known action director and be riddled with action movie clichés and tropes. Not there that aren’t things in this movie that you won’t see in other samurai movies, but Miike, like Fukasaku, brings to this film a broader and deeper background than his North American counterparts could be expected to have and the film is richer for it.Originally Pubished at: David Bird

This week the Outhousers talk about TV season premiers and the latest batch of DC’s 52 comics to hit the shelves.
Launch Outhouse Pirate Podcast Ep 71Authors: xaraanRead more http://theouthouseblog.tumblr.com/post/10695205780

Sometimes a project comes along that’s a complete disaster… and your task is to save the day, and your client’s ass…. for me, more often than not.
For this Baby Bash music video, I had to do just that, and turn around 90, that’s right NINETY vfx shots, including 3d camera motion tracking, green screen, compositing / live action intergration within 11 DAYS!
Well… IMO, it turned out OK…. but, it could have been much better. And… there is always something to say about PLANNING AHEAD!
Here’s a 1 minute clip…
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/baby-bash-fantasy-girl-music-video-cg-vfx-by-pedram/

It links to a whole forum discussion about a couple of DC changes. I think most people have had more an issue with her complete change of characterization and it seems done just for sake of sensationalism. But when a woman instigates sex with different people casually then yeah, that’s usually the definition. Keep trying.Authors: xaraanRead more http://theouthouseblog.tumblr.com/post/10667722575

While I am walking through memories…. figured I’d chat a little about this too. Being, it was my first major published works, while I was in tenth grade.
I was fortunate enough as a kid when Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell moved to my childhood neighborhood when I was 14…. He would reluctantly invite me to his home from time to time during those days, and allow me to watch him and Julie paint. They were both exceptional artists, and I was a lucky kid. Luckier still when Boris called John Romita Sr., at that time an executive at Marvel Comics, and set up an interview and a first class Marvel tour for me, when I was 15.
I met Mr. Romita in NYC Marvel offices. A very nice man. He introduced me to some editors during my tour… Bob Harris, Kelly Corvese, Spencer, Marcus McLauren (sorry if I misspelled names, but its been a loooong time) and some other Marvel editors and staffers…
Marcus at that time was editor for Marvel’s Epic line of comics… so I focused on him, thinking he’d be my best bet at breaking into the Big League…
But I was wrong. I had sent him submissions for 6 months. Often. And he’d just reply with crit, but no booking! And I KNEW at that time, that my art was AT LEAST as good as a lot of the stuff being published… so I did not give up.
I instead, picked up the phone and directly called the editor of Marvel Comics Presents, Mr. Mark Powers… and mentioned I have a ton of submissions sitting at Marcus’s office, and I’d love if he’d be willing to run over and take a look.
He called me back 15 minutes later and hired me to do the 8 page story, pencils and inks, in Marvel Comics Presents #139… “Batroc the Leaper in ‘Feat First”…
Here is the first page I drew for this major publisher, at age 16… sitting in a small storage room I used as my art studio, in my parent’s home basement.
Now, the orignal art is framed and displayed in my studio.
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/marvel-comics-presents-139-pencils-inks-age-16-breaking-into-comics/

I introduced myself to Todd at a Pittsburg Comicon some 19 years ago… At that time, I had already been published by Marvel in Marvel Comics Presents #139 as penciler and inker for a 8 page short called “Batroc the Leaper in ‘Feat First’”… so….. I had a pro badge, and was able to use it to cut ahead of the thousand people in line waiting for Todd’s signature.
I showed Todd a quick pencil sketch of Spawn I had done a bit earlier that day, and I asked if I could do a pin-up for Spawn the comic book. To my great surprise, he said yes, and that he’d pay me a thousand bucks to do it! He wrote his home phone number down on a promo booklet and told me to call him…
So I did. I called him over and over, and he would talk with me for sometimes an hour or more…
He was always a great inspiration to me as an artist and one hell of a great person. I always wished that someday I would be able to work with Todd again…. but alas, when I was hired by Extreme Studios at 17, I was *ROBbed* of that experience. LOL
Aaahhh the memories.
Here’s a photo of a framed copy of the pin-up hanging in my studio…. Todd kept the original.
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/published-in-todd-mcfarlanes-spawn-18-at-age-16/

It is hard to believe that I originally penciled and inked this cover for Scarlet Spider “Planet of the Symbiotes” #1, published by Marvel Comics back in 1995, when I was 19…
Then, they turned around and 16 years later, republished it as the cover for this “Spider-Man: Complete Clone Saga Epic Book”
Pretty cool… yeah… but they never paid me any extra to reuse my art… and frankly, I don’t remember signing any contracts back then…… lol :)
You can buy a copy at AMAZON!
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/spider-man-complete-clone-saga-epic-book-cover-by-me/

A funny little spot I did earlier this year… I was Sr. 3D VFX Generalist responsible for rabbit models, shaders and fur, as well as additional environmental modeling, textures and projections…
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/california-lotto-commercial-cg-rabbits/

I created all CG / 3D VFX Animation in this cool commercial – the entire transformation from boot to purse, including models, textures, shaders, rigs, animations, lighting and renders…
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/the-hartford-commercial-photo-real-cg-boot-purse/

A fun spot I worked on a lil while ago… I was lead 3d vfx generalist responsible for 3d models, textures, shaders, rig, animation, camera tracks, lighting & renders of wrecking ball & demolition / destruction, and the parachute….
TweetAuthors: pediRead more http://pedrams.me/wp/2011/09/burger-king-breakfast-march/